Ekmek Kataifi is my hands down most favorite Greek dessert of all time! I had even requested a huge tray of this dessert for my sweet sixteen.
Kataifi phyllo can be found in Greek, Mediterranean, or Middle Eastern markets. It resembles shredded wheat or even vermicelli, but is neither of those things.
Kataifi phyllo is buttered and baked till crispy. Pour the cold lemony syrup over the hot kataifi and allow it to absorb the liquid and plump up.
The second layer is freshly made hot pastry cream, poured over top. Cover that with a film of plastic wrap, touching the surface of the cream. Refrigerate that until it is cold and has set.
When ready whip up your fresh whipped cream and spread it over top. Garnish with toasted almond flakes, pistachios, or a simple dusting of cinnamon if you prefer.
This recipe is for a 9×13 baking pan. You can halve the recipe, which I often do. If you halve the recipe, then you can wrap the remaining kataifi dough and freeze it for another day, or make little kataifi baklava instead!
Ingredients
1 package kataifi phyllo (defrosted)
1/2 stick of melted unsalted butter
Syrup
4 cups of sugar
2 cups of water
Juice & peel of. lemon
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp of honey
Pastry cream
4 cups whole milk
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp vanilla extract
8 egg yolks (save whites for a different recipe, like amygdalota, amaretti or meringue cookies)
8 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Whipped cream
2 cups of heavy cream
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Topping choices
Toasted flaked almonds, cinnamon, or ground pistachios
Directions:
For syrup drenched desserts, always begin with the syrup because you want to pour cold syrup over the hot pastry.
Bring the syrup ingredients to a simmer till it is clear. Turn off the heat and stir in the honey. Set aside for later.
Melt the butter. Brush a 9×13 baking pan with a little butter. Add the kataifi phyllo to the pan, fluffing it out and pulling strings apart. Pour the remaining butter over that and mix it around with your hands throughout the kataifi phyllo. Spread that throughout the pan, from edge to edge and bake at 350 F till golden brown, approximately 30 .
While this is in the oven, make the pastry cream.
To a medium sauce pan, add the milk, sugar, vanilla, salt & lemon peel. Cook on low to gently warm it up. Meanwhile mix the egg yolks with the cornstarch to form a paste. As the milk gently warms up add some liquid to the eggs to temper it and thin out the paste. Pour that into the milk. Continue to warm it up on low for a few more minutes. We don’t want to scramble the eggs.
Keep whisking and bring the temperature to medium. It will start to thicken up. Raise the heat a little higher and keep whisking. When it is thick, turn off the heat and stir in the cold butter. This makes the cream silky!
Pass it through a strainer into a bowl. Cover that with Saran Wrap touching the surface. Set aside on the countertop till the kataifi is baked.
When the kataifi is ready, remove it from the oven and pour the cooled syrup over it and give it a few minutes to absorb and plump up. Now ladle the warm pastry cream over the kataifi phyllo and place a Saran Wrap touching the surface, so as not to form a skin. Pip that into the fridge for a couple of hours, or until it is cold,
When the pastry cream is cold, make the whipped cream and spread that on top. Garnish with either cinnamon, flaked toasted almonds, or ground pistachios.
Set it back in the fridge for thirty minutes for the whipped cream to set and serve!
Enjoy!!!
Kali Oreksi!
on xenia street 